Why the US national anthem is terrible — and perfect

If only we could bring back Jimi....

Personally, I like the tune, but I've always been of the opinion that an anthem is something a group sings.

Unfortunately, even the "good" versions of the Star Spangled Banner tend to be awful, Whitney Houston/Mariah Carey esque over-singing.

Ditch the pampered pop divas and get the crowd to sing. I remember getting drunk with some random Americans in Ireland and watching them belt out the anthem. The whole pub joined in and it was a thing of wondrous beauty (and this was when BUSH was president!). Probably wouldn't win any music awards, but it had heart.

That said, "la marseillaise" owns all other anthems. It's so good, it's almost like cheating for French sports teams :)

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